AN: I don't own any of the CSI:NY Characters or any of the show's storylines that I may refer to from time to time, but the rest of the plot is mine.
7. Family Interference
A pounding on the door broke them apart and they looked at each other and shrugged. He went to the door and checked through the spy hole before flinging the door open. "Megan! What the hell are you doing here?" he barked at her.
Don stood back as the youngest member of the Flack family entered the apartment. Of all his siblings it was the oldest and the youngest who caused him the most difficulties, especially Megan. Things between her and his parents were volatile. She called it being a teenager, but no one else had caused his parents the problems she had. Maybe she was just making up for the rest of them being relatively good.
Laura watched Megan drop into the armchair and let out an exasperated sigh. She decided to leave them to have whatever conversation alone. She got up from the couch and went to Don pulling him aside a moment. "Remember its late, if she needs to stay the spare room's ready." She told him quietly as she hugged him. He hugged her back.
"... thanks babe, would you call Ma and tell her she will stay here." He answered, looking across at Megan. "I'll go easy on her tonight, I promise." He added as he looked back at Laura "I'm sorry she's interrupted us"
"I'll live with it, just don't be long, I can't sleep without you" she murmured and he kissed her cheek.
With the bedroom door closed Don sank onto the couch looking at Megan. "What happened this time Meg?" he asked, a clipped tone to his voice.
"They don't understand! All I get from them is what fantastic students you all were, that you've all got good jobs, that I need to buck up my ideas and apply myself, that I should be looking at colleges for next year, then Heather gives me grief about not meeting them today when I was at the library trying to do what they wanted." She whined.
"Had you agreed to meet them?" he asked, silently chiding her for breaking an arrangement she had with their sisters and Laura.
"Yeah, but I've got this bitch of an assignment and it has to be in tomorrow and I just don't get it." She answered her voice cracking.
"Why were you meeting?" he asked she shot him a look that warned him not to push.
"Can't tell you Donnie, but Heather really laid into me" she began to sob. He got up and went over to her.
"Alright. That's enough for tonight. The spare room is made up. Stay there tonight, we'll talk in the morning."
He pulled her out of the chair and hugged her. "Thank you. You know sometimes you're the best brother ever." She mumbled and grabbed her bag and headed for the spare room. He stood for a moment wondering what would happen next. No doubt there would be another row between her and their parents, he hoped they'd resolve it quickly. Last time she'd ended up living with him for nearly a month, and as nice as it was to have her around sometimes, she was still a kid and she did kind of cramp his style and anyway things were different now, he had Laura to think about too.
x X x
Laura was awoken by her phone ringing early the next morning. She glanced at the clock as she extracted herself from Don's arms and groaned.
"Kat?" he murmured sleepily.
"Sshh, you've still got a couple of hours. I've been called. I'll see you later" she whispered as she ran her fingers through his hair and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Say hi to Meg for me"
A moment later he was sleeping again and she headed for the bathroom to start her day.
x X x
Don was in the lab to see Hawkes later that morning when Danny saw him. "Hey Flack I need a word with you!" he almost yelled down the corridor.
"Sure Danno what's up" he asked as they moved into an empty lab.
"You have the nerve to ask that?" Danny replied and Don looked at him blankly.
"Well I'm clearly missing something so you'd better explain" Don answered when Danny didn't continue.
"I got a call from my cousin, Tony this morning saying Laura had given them the brush off." Danny hissed at him. "You know what they've put on the line for you. Hell they're even doing your cake."
"Wait what are you saying?" Don asked still not getting the message.
"OK you want me to spell it out? Stevens called them a couple a hours ago and told them their services wouldn't be needed that you had moved the wedding to a bigger location." Danny spat at his friend.
"Not true Danny, Tony's place is perfect we- ... Laura's been at the construction site with Mac and Stella all morning she's still interviewing the crew, she wouldn't have done anything. ... She is gonna flip when she finds out." He said realising that Laura would not have had time to call and that they were being set up.
"You mean-?" Danny began only to be cut off by Don.
"Someone else called and cancelled. I think I know who, do me a favour tell Tony from me that we haven't changed our minds and I'll swing by and pay him later to show we're serious. ... Don't say anything to Laura, I'll deal with her sister." Don stated firmly, his facial muscles tight the only outward sign of the rage building inside. "I'd better check the rest of the arrangements too" he sighed as he left.
x X x
Over at the construction site Stella and Mac were still processing the area around where the body had been when Stella's phone rang. "Bonasera ... hey Flack, ... she's still interviewing the crew why?"
"Stell I need a favour, don't tell her, ... her sister's screwing the wedding, so far she's cancelled the church and the venue. I'm scared what else she could have done."
"Ok, let me think, I'll see you back at the lab in a little bit and we'll talk ... Are you sure its her sister?" she asked a frown across her face.
"Yeah, I just got off the line with Father O'Donnell he said it was a young woman claiming to be Laura, there's no one else it could be"
"Ok, I'll see you soon" she sighed and hung up. "Mac, I'm gonna take 5 I need to make a couple of calls."
"Sure, is everything ok?"
"I'll tell you when I'm done" she answered as she walked away.
x X x
Don, Danny, and Lindsay were in the breakroom later when Stella arrived. Don looked tense. "What have we got" she asked.
"We salvaged the venue and the music, the church is a problem, they had a waiting list and already offered the slot by the time Flack called." Danny answered for his friend.
"OK, the dresses are safe I spoke to the assistant we saw yesterday, she hadn't been called, but there's still a chance. I asked her not to take a cancellation unless Laura asks in person."
"Thanks Stell. ... What do I tell her about the church?" Don asked sombrely.
"Nothing, at least for now. Let's find an alternative first, I'll make some calls over lunch." Lindsay replied.
After a few minutes they went back to their cases.
x X x
Lindsay was in the breakroom at the end of lunch when Stella joined her with a big smile.
"I'm glad someone's having a good day." Lindsay moaned.
"Yeah we just took down Quentin Conrad's killer who had a thing against gays. ... How's it going?"
"No where! ... every place I've called is booked up or they want a years notice."
"It is spring, wedding season has begun." Answered Stella frowning.
"Stella what are we gonna do?" whined Lindsay.
"Have faith, we'll find something. You got a list, I'll make some calls." She offered as she pulled her lunch from the fridge and sat down. Lindsay pushed the list over to her and sighed.
"I've gotta go meet her to interview our suspect from the tattoo parlour the other day, good luck." She said as she left leaving Stella studying the list of calls to make.
x X x
Hawkes entered Mac's office later in the afternoon. "Hey Mac, I was looking for Stella. You seen her since lunch?"
"She's out with Flack for an hour what you got?" he answered.
"I've been going over the plans for the construction with an architect from the city planning office. He says they have a major design flaw which would jeopardise the safety of the building structure." Hawkes began.
"So how did they get permission for construction to proceed?"
"That's where it gets interesting. ... Officially there have been no plans approved. But papers found at the scene indicate that agreement was granted 6 months ago, but there's nothing on record at City Hall."
"Then we need to close the loop, go over all the papers again and make another trip to city hall and check their records again. I think we'd better have an independent surveyor assess the building and plans to check the quality of the work." Mac answered.
"You got it"
x X x
Laura entered the squad room after the interview with the suspect from the tattoo parlour. Murphy looked up from his desk as she sat down. "Hey Laura, you've got a heap of messages waitin on you and Bill called from the desk there's a package down there for you, he also said something about that girl Cassidy was by earlier looking for you"
Laura groaned and thumped her head onto her arms on the desk. Pulling herself back up she reached for the messages and flipped through them. Most of them were routine, one caught her attention and she picked up the phone. She hung up a moment later as Angell joined her.
"You ok?"
"No, I need to take off early, my sister's in town again and there's something I need to deal with, I'll clear it with Fraser." Laura pushed herself up from the chair and handed Angell the file from their other case. "The other employee confessed to the tattoo murder, so that's one case off the list. Hawkes is running down the plans and meeting with a surveyor to assess that planning regs were followed on the construction site from this morning, but it's looking doubtful at the moment." She told her partner then disappeared into the corner office.
x X x
On her way out of the precinct Laura stopped at the desk and Bill handed her the package. She broke the sealing tape and lifted the lid. Inside were neatly packed piles of invitations. Laura picked one up and looked at it, an ivory card with gold lettering in an ornate style
Mr and Mrs Andrew Stevens
Request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Laura Ellen Stevens
to
Mr Donald Flack jnr
Son of Lt and Mrs Donald Flack snr
on Saturday the eighth of April
two thousand and seven
At half past two in the afternoon
The West Hills Country Club, Larkspur, California
"That's it! I've had enough!" she yelled causing several heads to turn and look at her. "Bill do me a favour and shred this lot!" she pushed the lid back on the box and thrust it at the desk sergeant before pushing the card in her hand into her bag and walking out.
x X x
Don arrived home to find his sister in the kitchen cooking and no sign of Laura. "She was gone when I got back. There's a note on the table." Megan told him.
He turned back to the lounge and found the note Megan had referred to. He ripped open the envelope to find the invitation. He rubbed his hand across his face and through his hair then dropped onto the sofa and put his feet on the table, reading the note she had written. After a few minutes he took his phone and hit the speed dial button, it went straight to voicemail.
"Kat, I'm home, call me." He told her tiredly, then he went to the kitchen. "Meg, have you talked to the parents yet?"
"Not yet, I was busy finishing that assignment. Dinner's nearly ready, will Laura be in?" she answered.
"I don't know. Look I need you to go home get things sorted." He told her. She looked up at him.
"Tomorrow, I promise. I'm meeting Laura's sister we're going to a movie tonight. I won't interrupt you lovebirds when I come in."
"You're meeting with Cassidy?" he asked disbelievingly.
"Yeah, she came by earlier looking for Laura, we got talking. You know she's really cool." Megan answered brightly. "We're going to see Eragon. Dinner's ready. Have fun with Laura" she finished and kissed his cheek and rushed out before he could say anything more. He turned back to the lounge and dropped onto the couch, picked up the remote and switched the TV on.
Chapter 8 - Danny & Lindsay's dinner. ...
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